Just a few days ago, my colleague wrote about a woman who stood on the ledge of her 18-storey HDB unit just so she could clean her window.
Her neighbour, understandably, was shocked.
When interviewed, the husband of the daring woman said they both clean their windows like this, but always made sure to be ‘safe’.
The thing is, when you’re dangling from a ledge, unless you’re strapped to a harness of some kind, you can never be completely safe.
And sometimes, you don’t even have to be standing outside your window for an accident to occur.
27-Year-Old Woman Falls From 4th Floor When Collecting Laundry
A 27-year-old woman was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after she lost her balance and fell from her fourth-floor flat in Whampoa Drive.
According to The New Paper, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a case of fall from height at around 7pm at Block 82 Whampoa Drive.
The woman was conscious when she was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
So, what happened?
Retrieving laundry
Shin Min Daily News reported that the woman, a Vietnam national, is believed to have been retrieving clothes that were put out to dry when she fell.
She was reportedly grappling with a bamboo pole on a clothes rack at the time of the incident.
She then fell clutching the pole and because it got stuck for a moment on the second storey, it lessened the impact of her fall on the ground floor and probably saved her from more serious injuries.
Bleeding from her head
One eyewitness told Shin Min she heard a loud noise and came out to see a woman lying on the ground.
The eyewitness said the woman was bleeding from her head.
“I quickly called the ambulance, and a group of people had also gathered to help. “But we didn’t dare move her because we didn’t know how serious her injuries were”, she said.
Thankfully, one of the woman’s friends said that her head injury was not serious. However, her leg is fractured, she said.
The woman is believed to be on holiday here and was staying at a friend’s home with three other friends.
The 27-year-old was scheduled to return to Vietnam on Sunday, but the accident has resulted in a delay.
Be careful near windows
This may sound obvious, but you should take extra caution when you’re near an open window. Unless you happen to live on the first floor, any fall from your apartment can result in serious injuries.
Never bend forward while retrieving laundry because you could fall over if you’re carrying a particularly heavy rack.
Goody Feed hopes that the woman will make a speedy recovery and be able to return to Vietnam soon.
